‘Um, a piece of the chocolate and carrot cakes please, and two lattes.’
‘No bother. I’ll bring it over,’ he said. ‘You take a seat.’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled, then she turned to Callum. ‘Nice seeing you.’ She spoke as slowly and nonchalantly as she could.
‘Same time tomorrow?’ His eyes twinkled in amusement.
Neither of them spoke for a moment. When she saw Margaret waving at her she took that as her cue to move. ‘Okay see you.’
‘Beth,’ he rested his hand on her arm, ‘if it’s okay, I’ll take you up on that offer to help Daisy. I’ll be in touch.’
She gave a small nod. ‘Of course. Enjoy your coffee.’ Then she turned to walk towards Margaret as casually as possible.
Beth sat down and did all she could to avoid Margaret’s penetrating stare. She was relieved when the waitress arrivedwith the cake and coffee. It was only when she looked over at Margaret, offering her some chocolate cake, that she saw she was still looking at her with a smile on her lips.
Margaret leaned towards her. ‘Are you going to tell me who that hunk is? And what is going on there?’ She lowered her voice. ‘I mean you could cut the sexual tension with a knife. The air was practically fizzing.’ She sat back and gave her a knowing look.
Now Beth felt completely flustered. ‘Oh, that was just an old friend from my student days.’ She spoke quickly — but actually wanted the ground to swallow her up. She knew that Margaret wouldn’t let this lie.
Spreading a napkin on her lap, Margaret took a forkful of chocolate cake. ‘Delicious — a bit like your man over there. I mean he has certainly aged very well indeed. And he looks like someone famous. He’s like that doctor off the television. Do you know who I mean?’
Beth sighed, wondering which direction Margaret was going to go with this. ‘Which one?’
‘You know that programme?’ Margaret clicked her fingers in frustration.
‘Casualty? ER?’ Beth desperately tried to fire off the medical programmes she knew.
‘No, no. Youknowthe one I mean. That Scottish actor is in it too. The one offTrainspotting.’
‘What, Ewan McGregor? I didn’t know he was in a medical drama.’
‘Not him. Honestly,’ she threw up her hands in exasperation, ‘you’re meant to be a journalist and know this stuff.’
Beth frowned. ‘Trainspotting? Robert Carlyle?’ Though she didn’t think he had been in a medical drama either.
‘Tsk,’ she said. ‘He’s got red hair.’
Suddenly it dawned on her. ‘Ah, you mean Kevin McKidd?’
Margaret clapped her hands together. ‘That’s the one.’
‘You think he looks like him?’ Her voice had dropped to a whisper, wondering if Margaret was actuallyokay? Or perhaps colour-blind, given that the actor she was referring to had red hair. Callum’s hair was most definitely dark brown, albeit now threaded with a few silver strands.
‘Honestly.Would you have a bit of cake, Beth. I think your blood sugar has gone all funny. You’re making no sense.’
‘Um, same could be said for you . . .’
‘No I don’t mean him obviously. I mean he’s in the same show as McDreamy or McSteamy.’ She was practically shouting and a few customers looked over. Beth also clocked Callum glancing across curiously. ‘Sorry love. I didn’t mean to be quite that loud.’ Margaret quickly dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘I was just pleased I remembered.’ She gave her another of her looks. ‘You know that guy that played McDreamy onGrey’s Anatomy? That was the programme.’
‘Do you mean Patrick Dempsey?’
‘Aye,’ she stabbed her fork into the carrot cake in triumph, ‘that’s him. I knew we’d get there eventually. Anyway he looks a bit like your fella over there.’
Beth hadn’t really made the comparison before, and now didn’t dare turn and look at Callum, in case he thought she was checking him out. Which she totally would be.
‘He isverygood-looking, dear, and in a much more rugged way than that Alessandro chap from the hotel.’ She took a sip of her latte.
Beth gulped her coffee so she didn’t say anything she would regret.
